• Air Warfare

  Italy “in favour” of Saudi Arabia joining GCAP, says PM

  28th January 2025

  Prime Minister Moloni's comment came as Italy and Saudi Arabia signed a swathe of agreements totalling $US10 billion for greater cooperation, including between its defence and aerospace industries.

• Air Warfare

  Northrop Grumman’s completes flight tests of new EW system for F-16s

  1st May 2025

  The two aircraft flew more than 70 sorties in seven months and tested the system in various conditions and mission scenarios.

• Land Warfare

  South Korea to develop long-range interceptor for Iron Dome by 2028

  21st January 2025

  Around US$329 million will be spent on the development of the interceptor which will work to protect national and military facilities from the threat of North Korean artillery.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing beats out Lockheed to scoop NGAD $20 billion contract

  21st March 2025

  Designated ‘F-47’, the sixth-generation fighter will serve as a replacement for Lockheed’s F-22 Raptor, currently in service with the USAF.

• Land Warfare

  British Army’s commitment to L118 105mm light gun may be death knell for Light Fires Platform

  15th April 2025

  The UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) was running the programme for the Light Fires Platform (LFP) which was touted as the replacement for the 105mm L118 Light Gun used by the Royal Artillery (RA) regular and reserve units.

• Air Warfare

  Northrop Grumman notes $477 million loss as it manages higher B-21 programme costs

  24th April 2025

  In its Q1 earnings call, the company disclosed a US$477 million pretax loss related to the programme as it works to scale up.

• Air Warfare

  US Army UH-60M Black Hawk fitted with T901 engine approaches first flight

  10th February 2025

  The service recently started ground run testing to verify the full integration of the T901-GE-900 engine.

• Defence Notes

  Saudi Arabia eyes large procurement spend as it boosts 2025 defence budget to $78 billion

  11th February 2025

  The new figure is an increase from US$75.8 billion in 2024 and showcases the country’s focus on its Saudi Vision 2030 to achieve a diversified and sustainable economy, reducing the Kingdom’s dependency on oil.

• Air Warfare

  Colombia months away from selecting new fighter aircraft, says minister

  18th March 2025

  The country’s Defence Minister said that the selection of a NATO-country fighter aircraft to replace its ageing Kfir jets was a matter of protecting the country.

• Air Warfare

  TAI and Airbus collaborate on Hurjet trainer for Spain

  15th May 2025

  The Hurjet is pitched as the front runner for the Spanish Air Force’s Advanced Jet Trainer replacement programme for its ageing F-5M aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force announces mission designation for Anduril and GA-ASI’s CCA prototypes

  4th March 2025

  The news follows confirmation from GA-ASI that it will fly its CCA prototype this year and signals the next step in the collaborative combat aircraft programme.

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2025: Aselsan introduces new air-burst round with C-UAS mission in mind

  20th February 2025

  Aselsan revealed at IDEX 2025 that it has been developing a 25mm calibre air-bursting munition known as ATOM 25.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing CEO notes “confidence” in defence arm despite 20% Q4 revenue loss

  30th January 2025

  Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg indicated ongoing improvements were being made in its defence programmes going forwards, despite being affected in Q4 by cost pressures, higher manufacturing costs and the impact of the IAM strike.

• Naval Warfare

  Double SCHOTTEL deal advances two ship programmes

  30th January 2025

  SCHOTTEL has announced its thrusters will be fitted to both Polish and Portuguese programmes.

• Air Warfare

  IDEX 2025: Jump 20-X marks the spot for AeroVironment

  19th February 2025

  AeroVironment showcased the Jump 20-X, an advancement of the company’s Jump 20 VTOL-capable fixed-wing UAV, at this year’s IDEX in Abu Dhabi.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Joint Light Helicopter (HIL) Programme

  Programme BackgroundThe French Ministry of the Armed Forces has elected to bring the launch of the French Armed Forces’ HIL programme forward to 2021. The ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 TTH [France]

  Programme Background In 2001, the French government made its first purchase of 34 NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopters, followed by a second order in 2013 for ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - mini

  Micro & Mini Drones (France)

  Programme Background RequirementOn 23 April 2021, an RfP was published by the Direction de la Maintenance Aéronautique (DMAé) to supply around 500 micro and nano drones for the ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | OPV Procurement (1-2) [Montenegro]

  During Euronaval 2024, the French Ministry of Armed Forces and Veterans announced that Montenegro signed a contract for the acquisition of two OPV 60. Both ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | OPV Procurement (1-2) [Montenegro]

  During Euronaval 2024, the French Ministry of Armed Forces and Veterans announced that Montenegro signed a contract for the acquisition of two OPV 60. Both ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (13-15) [France]

  In June 2020, The French government has pledged to buy new military heavy-lift helicopters and accelerate plans for naval drone, ISTAR and tanker aircraft programmes as ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 [France]

  Programme Background Plans to Purchase At Eurosatory 2022, Col. Arnaud Goujon, the French Army's chief of plans, told the media that the French Army was ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 Special Forces [France]

  Programme Background In French service, advanced H225M Caracals with aerial refuelling capabilities are used by SOF units of the French Air Force (FAF) and French ...

• OPVs

  OPV Procurement (1-2) [Montenegro]

  Programme Background Timeline During Euronaval 2024, the French Ministry of Armed Forces and Veterans announced that Montenegro signed a contract for the acquisition of two ...

• OPVs

  OPV 58 S [Senegal]

  Programme Background Senegal ordered three OPV 58 S patrol vessels on 17 November 2019. A procurement contract was signed between the Ministry of Armed Forces ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  French MALE UAVs [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The French Ministry of the Armed Forces wishes to develop a French MALE offering comparable with the MQ-9 Reaper, the Eurodrone and the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Colibri [France]

  Programme Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated in a press conference in May 2022 that the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  UX11 (Ukraine Aid) [France]

  Programme Background First Batch On 6 September 2023, Sébastien Lecornu, the French Minister of Defence, announced Delair was providing Ukraine with more than 150 drones. ...

• Loitering munitions

  Larinae [France]

  Programme Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated in a press conference in May 2022 that the Direction Générale de l'Armement ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Tactical Drone System Light (SDTL) [France]

  Programme Background The French 2024-2030 military programme unveiled the SDTL for the special forces and the French Army. According to reports, the requirement would cover 30 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Counter-UAS systems

  Boreades

  Boreades is a modular anti-UAV system developed by CS. This suite combines multi-sensors and multi-effectors in order to enable the detection, identification and neutralisation of rogue ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  UAS 100

  The UAS 100 is an autonomous, three-engined platform, modular UAS manufactured by Thales in partnership with Issoire Aviation, Hionos and with the support of the ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 TTH

  Developed as a multinational programme between France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, the European NH90 was designed to meet NATO requirements for multirole capability from ...

• OPVs

  OPV 60

  The OPV 60 is designed to conduct surveillance missions in coastal and EEZ waters. The ship can be armed with a 40mm naval gun and ...

• EO/IR systems

  Euroflir 350

  The Euroflir 350 is an out-of-production gyro-stabilised optronic system. According to Safran, it is effective at long ranges, can track mobile targets, designate important areas for ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Lanner

  Unveiled at Eurosatory 2024, the Lenner is a modified variant of the Pengion C VTOL drone, specifically modified to meet the SDTL (Light Tactical Drone System) program ...

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole, Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  H160M

  Airbus is developing the H160M to meet the requirements of the French military for the Joint Light Helicopter (Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger, or HIL) programme. It ...

• Land: handheld NV devices

  O-NYX

  The Thales O-NYX is a Ultra-Compact Night Vision Goggle used by the French armed forces. They have an enlarged field of vision to 51° compared ...

• Pistols

  Glock Pistol

  The Glock family of pistols have been in widespread service since the Glock 17 was selected for Austrian military and police service in 1982. The company's ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Mistral 2

  MISTRAL is a man-portable, fully digital, heat-seeking missile designed to meet the requirements of all branches of the armed forces to defend against air threats. ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  TDS-FA/-TA/-H

  Thales’ TDS family is comprised of Radar Warning Receivers (RWRs) designed to equip a range of fixed-wing aircraft. The product series includes the TDS-FA designed ...

• Loitering munitions

  Toutatis

  The Toutatis is an in-development loitering munition from Thales. According to Thales, the platform is effective against groups of fighters and unarmored and light-armoured vehicles. Unveiled at ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Trapper VT4

  A militarised version of the commercial Ford Everest 4x4 sports utility vehicle, the Trapper VT4 light all-terrain vehicle has been selected as the French Army's ...

• Trucks and utility vehicles - 4x4, Trucks and utility vehicles - 6x6, Trucks and utility vehicles - 8x8

  Kerax Family

  The Kerax family consists of off-road trucks available in 4x4, 6x6, and 8x8 configurations, designed to meet the specific requirements of armed forces while utilizing ...

• Swimmer delivery vehicles

  Kapal Selam Mini

  The PT Palindo Marine mini-submarine concept was first unveiled to the market at the Indo Defence exhibition in 2016 as part of a wider plan ...